Tennis racket



W. T. ALDRICH.

TENNIS RACKET. APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, I921.

Patented Aug. 29, 19220 2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

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v TENNIS RACKET.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 10, 1921.

1A2?,568, Patented Aug. 29, 1922.

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

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WILLIAM TYLER ALDRICH, E CHICOJPEE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOB, TO A. G. SJPAJLDING & BROS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A CORPORATION OF MASSACHUSETN.

TENNIS RACKE'I.

Application filed May 10,

To a]? whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM T. ALDRICH, a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Chicopee, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Tennis Rackets, of which the following is a specification.

One of the objects of my said invention is to provide a construction in which the 'bow is provided with an internal reinforcement, and the joints between the bow, the throat piece or Wedge, and the reinforcement are effectually sealed against the weather and prevented from opening up, and this without detracting from the appearance of the racket.

A further object is to provide a racket having means provided for preventing the gut from cutting into the bow, and to reduce wear at the to of the bow where it contacts frequently wit 1 the ground.

Still another object is to provide a racket of stiffer construction and one which will be less liable to distortion.

With these and other objects in View the invention includes the novel features of construction and arrangement and combinatiton of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined by the appended claims. An embodiment of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is a plan view of a racket constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is an edge view.

Fig. 3 is a partial plan view showing the racket as it appears before the protecting veneer is applied.

Fig. 4 is a similar view with the veneer applied but uncolored.

Fig. 5 is a section on line 55 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a section on line 66 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 7 is a section on line 77 of Fig. 1.

Referring by reference characters to this drawing, the numeral 1 designates the bow bent into the usual or any desired shape, and having its terminal portlons 2 incorporated in the handle 2 in the customary manner, 3 designates the usual wedge or throat piece which has an extension 3* extending between the bow extensions 2 and forming therewith the main bod of the handle, the parts being glued toget or as is customary. 4 designates a throat reinforcing lamination extending across the exposed-edge face of Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 29, 11%22.

1921. Serial No. tdhfltw.

the wedge and the inner adjacent portions of the bow and glued thereto. In order to protect the joints between these various parts from the weather and prevent them from opening up, I provide veneer facin laminations 5 glued to and overlapping t e throat piece 3. bow extensions 2 and throat reinforcement 4:, and these laminations are preferably extended to the end of the'handle and have applied to their exterior surfaces the layers 6, 6, which serve to complete the handle and give the same the proper shape.

A racket so constructed gives no appearance of any throat piece or wedge as Will appear from Fig. 3, but as such appearance is desirable, I paint or color the veneer to give the appearance of a throat piece as indi= cated at 3* m Fig. I. In the stringin of a tennis racket, the ut is drawn extreme y tight and the tension increases in inclement weather, the tendency being in use and in restringing processes for this tension to gradually cause the gut to cut deeper into the wood of the bow, especially at the top wherein the gut is set in grooves, and ,it is not at all unusual for the gut to pull entirely through the frame after several rest-ringings. Uneven tension in the stringing operation is also liable to cause distortion of the frame. To avoid this, I provide the bow with a peripheral groove in which is inserted a strip of fibre which is indicated at 7 and which is firmly glued in position. The groove or channel is preferably of semi-circular shape in cross section and the fibre strip of similar formation. I have found that the insertion of such a fibre strip or reinforcement corrects the weakness here'inbefore referred to, prevents the cutting action of the gut, and by a better distribution of pressure, tends to stiffen and increase the resistance of the frame against distortion. This distortion is more especially noticeable in frames that are beveled down and rounded as illustrated in the "drawing and the stiffening influence of the fibre is therefore especially meritorious in this type of racket which is coming more and more into'general use. The. fibre also by reason of its toughness materially reduces wear at the top of the bow where the tendency to wear is very material. due to the scraping of the bow on the court in ground strokes.

In connection with the inside throat re inforcement 4 it may be observed that there is a tendency for this to pull away from the throat piece 3 by reason of the surface of the latter being edge grain when it abuts against the reinforcement. By having the veneers 5 overlap the edges of the reinforcement 45 and glued thereto this tendency is counteracted and the opening up of the oint prevented.

Having'thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a tennis racket a bow substantially oval in shape, a wedge inserted between the strips forming the bow and glued thereto, a reinforcing strip located at the base of the oval as a binder for the bent form and outside laminations of wood extending to the mamas inner edge of the reinforcing strip and sealing the jointure of said strip to the throat piece.

2. In a tennis racket, a bow substantially oval in shape, a wedge inserted between the portions of the bow at the throat of the bow, said bow and said wedge having extensions to the end of the racket, said parts being glued together, outside laminations of wood overlapping said throat piece and adjacent bow portions and terminating at the edges thereof, and imitation wedges painted upon the exterior surface of said laniinations.

In testimony whereof ll aflix my signature,

WILLIAM TYLER ALDRICH. 

